Inmate death ruled suicide

Review of security classification urged after ‘inexcusable’ 162 days in segregation

A 24-year-old man killed himself in 2010 at the Edmonton Institution after spending 162 days in segregation, concludes a fatality inquiry released Tuesday.

The report prompted comparisons to the death of Ashley Smith, a 19-year-old who strangled herself at an Ontario prison in 2007 after being in segregation for more than 2,000 days.

Edward Snowshoe of Fort McPherson, N.W.T., died on Aug. 13, 2010. He had spent 134 days in segregation at the Stony Mountain Institution in Manitoba after brandishing a weapon made from a juice box. As a result, he was transferred to the maximum security Edmonton Institution, and immediately placed in segregation for another 28 days.

Judge James K. Wheatley, who authored the inquiry report, made a dozen recommendations. Several of them are administrative, but others set out a strategy to ensure reviews of time in segregation take place and one suggests a review of security classification in prisons.

“How does a juice box knife end up with 162 days in segregation?” Wheatley asked in the report.

He also recommended that those with a history of suicide attempts are segregated only in cells where they can be easily observed and that psychology departments review procedures to ensure inmates get needed help, or are transferred to “special handling units.”

“Just asking someone if they need help doesn’t cut it when there is a clear history of psychological need,” the report states.

Correctional Service Canada said in an email it is reviewing the recommendations.

Howard Sapers, the Correctional Investigator of Canada, said the report was “like seeing a movie over again.”

“I find it beyond frustrating to be reading yet another fatality inquiry reaching the same conclusions,” Sapers said, referring to other cases involving mentally ill inmates, such as Smith.

Snowshoe was serving a nearly 5-1/2 year sentence for robbing a cab at gunpoint in Inuvik, N.W.T., and then shooting and injuring the cab driver as the cabbie escaped.

While at the Stony Mountain Institution, Snowshoe attempted suicide three times and was eventually put on suicide watch.

Catherine Latimer, the executive director of the John Howard Society, said there are major concerns over the use of segregation on prisoners with mental health issues.

“For them to be subjected to long periods of segregation can do irreversible harm,” Latimer said.

The segregation of prisoners is supposed to be periodically reviewed and Sapers said his office has recommended more than once that those with a suicide risk not be placed in segregation.

It appears that when Snowshoe was transferred between Manitoba and Alberta, his review was bungled — the clock on his time in segregation was reset, instead of being continued from his previous facility. That way, the review that happened five days into his time in Edmonton was at around 139 days into his total time in segregation. That report made no mention of his mental health issues, though it did mention the juice box knife.

“Snowshoe died in 2010. That segregation timing policy was supposed to have already been changed and clarified,” Sapers said.

Because it was not done properly, Snowshoe did not have the benefit of a thorough review of his time in segregation.

“Frankly, that’s inexcusable,” Sapers said.

W heatley wrote that throughout his time in prison, Snowshoe’s mental health and length of time in segregation were not appropriately monitored and that Snowshoe “fell through the cracks.”

“Only cursory attempts to try to establish a mental health or psychological process with Mr. Snowshoe were made during his 28 days at the Edmonton Institution,” Wheatley wrote.

The officers who interacted with him were not aware that they had access to the Offender Management System, an electronic log that contains information on all prisoners in the federal penitentiary system.

“It would appear that despite ... having flags of suicide and self harm incidents of Mr. Snowshoe that these flags were not observed or dealt with any degree of care or alertness by numerous people involved with Mr. Snowshoe while at the Edmonton Institution.”

While Snowshoe was screened by a nurse when he was admitted, no follow up was conducted by psychologists, despite one attempt, which he refused.